NEW YORK — To the subway and bus, add another public transportation option for tourists to New York: the bicycle.
On May 27, the city launched Citi Bike, funded by a $41 million sponsorship from Citibank. The program added more than 6,000 pickup/drop-off bicycles to the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
By dipping a credit or debit card at any of the 300 docking stations scattered throughout the city, renters can grab a Citi Bike and return it to any station after their ride.
While currently restricted to subscribers who pay $95 for a year of service, mainly New York natives, the bikes were scheduled to become available to the public on June 2, at rates of $9.95 per day and $25 per week.
Similar bicycle-sharing programs are operating in several U.S. cities, including Madison, Wis.; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, but the inauguration of Citi Bike marked the launch of the nation's largest.
Despite the addition of thousands of bicycles in the city, Marc Seidenstein, general manager of Bike the Big Apple, does not believe Citi Bike will affect his company, which offers guided bike tours of New York.
Instead, he thinks Citi Bike will become an attractive option to New York residents, riders who are outside of his company's client base.
"It's meant for very short trips and public transportation more than anything else," Seidenstein said.
Seidenstein added that he thinks people understand the differences between the value of a guided bike tour vs. a bike-share program and that his clients will remain aware of the benefits that a formal bike tour offers.
"Our guides are professional," he said. "And a knowledgeable guide is more valuable than reading a guide book."
Seidenstein said that his business differs from the program in that it takes visitors to parts of the city that don't have Citi Bike yet (presently, it is only offered below 59th Street in Manhattan and in certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn), provides helmets to riders and travels along what he believes to be the safest biking routes in the city.
Big Apple Bikes also pays agents commissions, he said, something Citi Bike does not do.
Kitt Garrett, founder and CEO of Discover New York and Beyond, a destination management company that designs New York experiences for clients, shares Seidenstein's view.
"There are tons of bike tours available all day long," she said. "I don't think it will bring additional tourists, but it will make it more interesting for people who already live here."
Although Discover New York does not specialize in guided bicycle tours, Garrett said she would consider using the Citi Bikes as a way for her guides to take clients "from point A to point B."
"The advantage of it is to start in one location and end in a different one, and not have to return the bike to the same location," Garrett said. "We could certainly add one of our guides at any starting location and make it a fun experience."
In fact, both Garrett and Seidenstein also see many advantages to Citi Bike, among them offering a healthier, more ecofriendly way to get around.
"The ability to cut down on pollution and get people physically exercising is going to be an interesting way to travel," Garrett said.
Although Seidenstein does not feel threatened by Citi Bike's potential to steal business, Danny Roman, founder of Bikes and Hikes LA, a West Hollywood, Calif., company that offers both biking and hiking tours across Los Angeles, disagrees. He said he believes bike-share programs have the potential to be "devastating" to bike tour operators.
Roman recounted a trip to Miami where he used that city's DecoBike sharing program to explore the city.
"I didn't bother using the bike tour operators that were there, because right in front of my hotel they had a [bike-docking] station," Roman said. "I just jumped on, put my credit card in and … just figured it out."
Although Roman had plans to expand his bike tour company to New York, he said he is rethinking the decision as a result of Citi Bike. Los Angeles does not currently have a bike-share program, but plans are in the works to launch one in the next few years. In fact, Roman has already attended city council meetings to protest.
"I'm a brick-and-mortar, building bike tourism in the city," said Roman, who, like Bike the Big Apple, pays agents commissions. "[If Los Angeles puts up] stations, people will not walk down the street to my store."
He estimated a bike-share program could decrease a bike tour company's business by up to 50%, causing companies to lose young, tech-savvy clients, who Roman estimates make up about half of his client base.
Bike-share programs "are cheaper [than tours], and everyone has iPhones now," he said. "If it says where bike tours go on their websites, why wouldn't you just put [your destination] in your phone?"